Connecting device



C. A. F'OX Dec. 20, 1938.

CONNECTING DEVICE Filed May 22, 1935 M ME/V7018 (Iv/4 24 55 45/0 Ex wwk vit ATTQB/YEY Patented Dec. 20, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFiCE CONNECTING DEVICE Application May 22, 1935, Serial No. 22,779

5 Claims.

This invention relates generally to connecting devices, and more specifically to connecting devices adapted for use in securing attachments of various descriptions to insulators, housings, and

5 other structures formed of porcelain or similar materials identified with the electrical equipment field, the predominant object of the invention being to provide an improved connecting device of this type which is capable of performing its function in an improved and highly efficient manner.

It is well known to persons familiar with such matters that in the electrical equipment field, insulators, housings, and other structures formed 15 of porcelain and like materials are employed. It

is likewise well known that these porcelain structures in many cases have secured to them various metallic attachments, such as terminals, hangers, etc. It is a characteristic of porcelain and other 20 like materials that such materials are very great- 1y reduced in durability when placed under tension, and an important feature of this invention is that the improved connecting device is applied to the porcelain, or like structure, with 25 which it is associated, in a manner to place portions of the porcelain or like structure to which the connecting device is directly attached under compression.

Another important feature of the invention is that the improved connecting device includes resilient compensating means, which permits variations due to expansion and contraction of the porcelain or like structure and the elements of the connecting device to occur without crack- 35 ing or fracturing the porcelain or like structure.

Still another feature of the invention is that porcelain or like structures with which the improved connecting devices are associated may be provided with elongated openings through which the bolts of the connecting devices pass. This is important in the case of insulators which must be provided with longitudinally alined openings to receive connecting devices and which are inclined to undergo torsional movement or a twisting action when fired. By providing an insulator with elongated openings alinement of portions of a pair of openings spaced longitudinally of the insulator may be obtained in spite of torsional 5 movement or twisting action of the insulator as a result of firing thereof.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view showing a line terminal secured to an insulator with the aid of a connecting device constructed and arranged in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, horizontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

3 is a fragmentary, vertical section taken through the structure illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar 5 to Fig. 2 but illustrating the connecting device as it appears when being applied to the insulator.

Fig, 5 is a front elevation of an insulator showing the elongated openings thereof for receiving the bolts of connecting devices which are to be applied to said insulator.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a washer which forms a part of the invention.

In the drawing, wherein is shown for the purpose of illustration, merely, one embodiment of the invention, A designates a conventional insulator with which is associated a line terminal B and a contact member C. As shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, the insulator A has formed within its interior an opening A of circular formation which extends longitudinally of the insulator. Formed through the wall of the insulator A at the portions A and A thereof, which are located adjacent to the opposite ends of said insulator, are openings I and 2, these openings be ing of elongated shape and being extended in the direction of the circumference of the insulator as shown most clearly in Fig. 5. By referring to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the opening I shown thereinis of constant height throughout its length, while Fig. 2 shows that said opening is of varied width, being tapered from its greatest width at the circumferential face of the insulator to a reduced width at the face of the opening A.

Arranged in contact with the outer face of the insulator A is an element 3 which in horizontal section is shaped as shown in Fig. 2; that is to say, said element is recessed or relieved at its inner portion which is located adjacent to the circumferential face of the insulator as indicated by the reference character 4. At opposite sides of the recessed or relieved portion 4 the element 3 is provided with leg portions 5 which contact with the outer face of the insulator A at points removed substantial distances outwardly from the adjacent end edge portions of the opening I, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, these opposed leg portions being strengthened by suitable ribs 6. The element 3 is provided at its outer face with a recess 1 which receives the lower portion of the line terminal B, and this lower portion of the line terminal also is recessed as indicated by the reference character 8 to receive an upwardly extended loop portion 0' of the contact member C.

The element 3 and the lower portion of the line terminal B are provided with alined apertures, the aperture formed through the element being designated by the reference character 9, and the aperture formed through the lower portion of the line terminal being designated by the reference character !9. Extended through the apertures 9 and it of the element 3 and the line terminal B and through the loop portion C of the contact member C is a bolt H, said bolt having a head portion H between which head portion and the loop portion C of the contact member C a washer i2 is interposed. The bolt ll extends inwardly through the opening 1 into the opening A within the insulator A, and arranged within said opening A is a rectangular washer l3 formed of spring material, said washer being provided with an opening l4 through which the bolt passes. The washer i3 is normally of flat formation, as shown in Fig. 4, and after the connecting device has been applied to the insulator in a manner to be hereinafter described, said washer is deformed to a more or less V-shaped formation, as shown in Fig. 2, said washer when so deformed making line contact with the inner face of the opening A at the points indicated by the reference characters 13*, I3", and I3. Mounted on the screw-threaded shank portion of the bolt E i is a nut 15 which, when the connecting device has been applied to the insulator A, contacts closely with the V-shaped washer I3, as shown in Fig. 2, and maintains the points I3 3", and i3 thereof in firm contact with the face of the opening A.

In applying the improved connecting device to an insulator such as that designated by the reference character A in the drawing, a tool in the form of an elongated rod is employed. This rod is recessed at an end to receive the nut 15 and the washer l3, which at this time is flat as shown in Fig. 4. The rod supporting the nut and washer is introduced into the central opening A of the insulator so as to position said nut and washer in registration with the opening I or the opening 2 with which the connecting device is to be associated, whereupon the bolt H, which is in assembled relation with the element 3 and the parts to be attached to the insulator, is passed inwardly through the opening i or 2 so that it passes through the opening in the washer l3 and enters the bore of the nut i5. When the element 3 and the parts associated therewith have been properly positioned with respect to the insulator, the bolt is rotated by applying a suitable tool to the head portion H thereof, the nut being non-rotatably held by the elongated rod during preliminary rotation of the bolt. Rotation of the bolt in the manner described causes the nut to move longitudinally of said bolt toward the headed end thereof, and the pressure exerted against the washer I3 by the nut will cause said washer to bend on the medial line a-a indicated in Fig. 6. This bending of the washer continues until the washer portions above and below the opening 54 of the washer and on the medial line with respect to the opposite side edges of said washer contact with the inner face of the open ing A above and below the opening I or 2. Thus the washer i3 is deformed from its flat condition shown in Fig. 4 to its V-shaped form shown in Fig. 2, in which latter form the washer has three points of line contact with the face of the central opening A of the insulator at the points already referred to herein as being designated by the reference characters l3 l3, and I3.

It is important to note that bending of the washer l3 on the line aa of Fig. 6 is assured by the fact that this is the weakest point of the washer structure, due to the removal of material from the washer in providing the aperture [4 thereof. In other words, the pressure against the washer exerted by the nut I5 is applied to the washer somewhere along the imaginary lines bb in Fig. 6, and as the opposite side edges of the washer are in continuous line contact with the face of the opening A at the points designated by the reference characters I3 and [3 in Fig. 2, bending of the washer outwardly takes place at some place between the points l3 and B The washer structure is weaker along the line c-a than elsewhere between the points E2 and i3, and therefore bending of the Washer takes place along said line,

By referring to Fig. 2 it will be noted that when the connecting device is in the assembled condition spaces 16 are present between portions of the washer and the face of the opening A of the insulator at opposite sides of the contact point i3 of the washer and said face of said opening. Due to the fact that the washer is formed of spring material, these spaces l6 constitute the washer a resilient, compensating means which permits the insulator body and the metallic parts attached thereto to expand and contract in response to atmospheric temperature changes without loosening of the connecting device, or without such tightening thereof as would crack or fracture the insulator material.

It is also extremely important to note that application of the improved connecting device to an insulator does not place the material of the insulator under tension, but instead places the material of the insulator which is located between the leg portions 5 of the element 3 and the washer i3 under compression. It is further pointed out that the leg portions 5 of the element 3 and the opposite side edges of the washer l3 contact with the insulator at points removed considerable distances from the edges of the openings I or 2, hence clamping engagement of these parts with the insulator does not tend to crack or break the material of the insulator at said edges of said openings.

By providing an insulator to which the improved connecting devices are to be applied with openings l and 2 which are elongated in the direction of the circumference of the insulator, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5, torsional movement or twisting of the insulator when fired will not destroy alinement of the openings longitudinally of the insulator, as longitudinal alinement of some parts of the elongated openings will be present even though such torsional movement or twisting of the insulator takes place.

An important feature of the invention is that in the case of the tubular type insulator illustrated in the drawing, the bands which heretofore completely surrounded the insulators in certain equipment for securing switch parts and contacts to the insulators are eliminated. By eliminating the bands referred to much higher fiashover values are obtained, because of the greater arcing distance between live parts and the center ground to the hanger of the structure. Also, as the rather large energized, metallic surfaces around the insulators are done away with, a safer structure is provided and the danger of fiashovers caused by birds perching on the hangers or cross-arms and pecking at the energized, metallic surfaces is eliminated.

I claim:

1. In combination with a structure having an opening formed therein which is provided with a curved face and provided with an aperture which communicates with said opening and is open at the outer face of said structure, a connecting device for connecting an attachment to said structure, said connecting device including an element arranged in contact with the outer face of said structure at points removed from the edge of the open, outer end of said aperture and being out of contact with said outer face of said structure at points adjacent to said edge of said open, outer end of said aperture, a bolt which engages the attachment connected to said structure and passes through an opening in said element and is extended through said aperture of said structure, a nut mounted on the portion of said bolt which is disposed within said opening of said structure for movement longitudinally thereof, and a washer formed of spring material interposed between and in contact with said nut and the curved face of said opening of said structure, said washer being adapted to be drawn into substantially V-shaped form when the connecting device is tightened so as to cause portions of the washer to be in line contact with said curved face of the opening of said structure at a plurality of separated points and being spaced from said curved face of said opening at points between said separated points.

2. In combination with a structure having an opening formed therein which is provided with a curved face and provided with an aperture which communicates with said opening and is open at the outer face of said structure, a connecting device for connecting an attachment to said structure, said connecting device including an element arranged in contact with the outer face of said structure, said element being recessed in such manner that said element is out of contact with the portion of the outer face of said structure located adjacent to the open, outer end of said aperture and said element having portions which contact with said outer face of said structure at points removed from said open outer end of said aperture, a bolt which engages the attachment connected to said structure and passes through an opening in said element and is extended through said aperture of said structure into the opening of said structure, a nut mounted on the portion of said bolt which is disposed within said opening of said structure for movement longitudinally thereof, and a washer formed of spring material interposed between and in contact with said nut and the curved face of said opening of said structure, said washer being adapted to be drawn into substantially V- shaped form when the connecting device is tightened so as to cause portions of the washer to be in line contact with said curved face of the opening of said structure at a plurality of separated points and being spaced from said curved face of said opening at points between said separated points.

3. In combination with a structure having an opening formed therein which is provided with a curved face and having an aperture which communicates with said opening and is open at the outer face of said structure, a connecting device for connecting an attachment to said structure, said connecting device including elongated means which engages the attachment connected to said structure and extends through said aperture into the opening thereof, an element mounted on said elongated means for movement longitudinally thereof, and a washer formed of spring material interposed between and in contact with said longitudinally movable element and the curved face of the opening of the structure, said washer being in substantially V-shaped form when the connecting device is tightened with opposed outer edge portions of the said washer making line contact with the curved face of the opening of said structure at points located out wardly of the inner edge of said aperture so as to space. certain portions of said washer located inwardly of said opposed line-contacting edge portions thereof away from said inner edge of said aperture.

4. In combination with a structure having an opening formed therein which is provided with a curved face and having an aperture which cornmunicates with said opening and is open at the outer face of said structure, a connecting device for connecting an attachment to said structure, said connecting device including elongated means which engages the attachment connected to said structure and extends through said aperture into the opening thereof, an element mounted on said elongated means for movement longitudinally thereof, and a washer formed. of spring material interposed between and in contact with said longitudinally movable element and the curved face of the opening of the structure, said washer being in substantially V-shaped form when the connecting device is tightened with opposed outer edge portions of said washer and centrally located portions thereof making line contact with the curved face of the opening of the structure at points located outwardly of the inner edge of said aperture, portions of said washer between the portions thereof which make line contact with the curved face of the opening of the structure being spaced from said curved face of said opening so as to maintain the washer out of direct contact with substantially the entire inner edge of said aperture.

5. In combination with a structure formed of frangible material, said structure having an opening formed therein which is provided with a curved face and having an aperture which communicates with said opening and is open at the outer face of said structure, a connecting device for connecting an attachment to said structure, said connecting device including elongated means which engages the attachment connected to said structure and extends throughsaid aperture into the opening thereof, an element mounted on said elongated means for movement longitudinally thereof, and a washer formed of spring material interposed between and in contact with said longitudinally movable element and the curved face of the opening of the structure, said washer being in substantially V-shaped form when the connecting device is tightened with opposed outer edge portions of said washer and centrally located portions thereof making line contact with the curved face of the opening of said structure, said opposed edge portions of the washer making line contact with the curved face of the opening of the structure at points located outwardly of the inner edge of said aperture, portions of said washer between the portions thereof which make line contact with the curved face of the opening of the structure being spaced from said curved face of said opening so as to maintain the Washer out of direct contact with substantially the entire inner edge of said aperture.

CHARLES ADIN FOX. 

